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Complaints

Your Students’ Union is committed to providing an excellent service and support for our members.

However, we recognise there may be occasions where our members feel that the Students’ Union falls short of expected standards. This page and its associated policy set out how our members can make a complaint and how that complaint will be managed.

The Complaint Procedure is explained below.

You can also view the Complaints Policy in full here.

SU Office Entrance

Complaints will be dealt with quickly and fairly, as detailed below:

  • The Chief Executive Officer has overall responsibility for this policy.
  • Employees are responsible for following this policy when they receive a complaint from a member.
  • Wherever possible, Stage 1 complaints will be dealt with by the SU staff member who the complainant initially dealt with.
  • If the response, at any stage of the procedure, is not satisfactory, this Complaint Procedure will enable complainants to know clearly how, where, when and to whom they can escalate their complaint to.
  • If a complaint is upheld, the Students’ Union will, wherever possible, offer an appropriate resolution.
  • If a complaint is not upheld, then reasons for the decision will always be provided to the complainant in writing along with information of how to escalate the complaint.
  • Burden of Proof - When making a complaint or a request to review a complaint outcome it is for the student to show how the circumstances of which they have complained have affected them.
  • Standard of Proof - The standard of proof applied is that of the balance of probability; that it is more likely than not something was or was not the case.

Deadline and Requirements

Members' complaints must be submitted within 28 days (or reasonably practical). Complaints submitted after this deadline will not be considered under this complaints process.

  • All complainants are required to follow the procedure correctly.
  • At all stages of the procedure, the complainant must provide all relevant information regarding their complaint.
  • Complainants should not make frivolous, vexatious or erroneous complaints, as these will not be accepted by the Students’ Union.

How to Submit a Complaint

Members can submit complaints:

  • In person to any staff member.
  • By phone. Our phone number is 0191 5153030.
  • By email. The address to use is yoursu@sunderland.ac.uk.
  • By post. Our postal address is Students’ Union, Ground Floor, Edinburgh Building, Chester Road, Sunderland, SR1 3SD.

The Process

A member can submit their complaint using one of the methods set out above. The member should provide:

  • A summary of their complaint - what happened and when?
  • If relevant, supporting evidence.
  • A preferred contact method.
  • The complaint is acknowledged on receipt by Sunderland Students’ Union. The member will be informed at that point when they can expect to receive a response.
  • Sunderland Students’ Union welcomes the opportunity to discuss a complaint informally with a concerned member, where possible. We recommend that a complainant should make their complaint to the person who they dealt with at the time of the incident, giving grounds for complaint. If this is not possible, the complaint should be made to yoursu@sunderland.ac.uk.
  • The complaint will be passed to the appropriate staff member (the SU staff member who the complainant initially dealt with, where possible). The complainant will be informed who their Complaints Handler is and provided with their contact details.
  • The complainant will be invited to discuss the complaint if required and with both parties' consent. The Complaints Handler will keep a record of the meeting, endeavour to resolve the matter and will include details of how to escalate to a more formal stage (Stage 2), if appropriate.
  • If the complainant remains dissatisfied, the complaint will proceed to the formal complaints stage (Stage 2). Stage 1 should be completed within five working days of the complaint being made.
  • The complainant should contact the Students’ Union’s Operations and HR Manager via centralservices@sunderland.ac.uk to progress the complaint. This must be received within five working days of the complainant meeting with the appropriate staff member.
  • The complaint will be passed to the relevant Students’ Union Manager, who will investigate the complaint and the initial response given to the complainant.
  • The complainant will be provided with a written response, no later than 10 working days following the date they lodged their formal complaint.
  • If the complaint is upheld, the complainant will be informed what action is to be taken to resolve their complaint. If the complaint is not upheld, the complainant will be given the reasons for the decision and details on how to appeal the decision (see Complaints Appeals Process section).
  • A record of the investigation of the complaint and the response given at this stage will be sent to the Students’ Union’s Operations and HR Manager.

If a member is not happy with the outcome of an investigation into their complaint, they can ask for their complaint to be reconsidered.

  • The complainant should contact the Students’ Union’s Chief Executive via katherine.cooper@sunderland.ac.uk.
  • This must be received within five working days of the complainant receiving the response to their formal complaint.
  • The appeal will be heard by the Students’ Union’s Chief Executive or their designate, who will investigate the complaint and the responses given to the complainant.
  • The complainant will be provided with a written response, no later than 10 working days following the date they lodged an appeal.
  • A complaint about the Chief Executive will be forwarded to the Chair of the Board of Trustees.
  • If the appeal is upheld, the complainant will be informed what action is to be taken to resolve their complaint. If the appeal is not upheld, the complainant will be given the reason for the decision and the details on how to initiate an independent review (see Independent Review section).
  • A record of the investigation of the complaint and the response given at this stage will be sent to the Students’ Union’s Operations and HR department.
  • Once the right of appeal has been exercised and the Students’ Union’s Complaint Procedure has been exhausted, the complainant will have the right to submit an appeal to the University.
  • The University shall appoint an independent person to consider the appeal, on procedural grounds only. The independent person will investigate the complaint and inform the complainant, the University and the Students’ Union of their findings/recommendations.